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Daddy’s Little Sweetheart Dance is Friday

It’s strictly ‘no moms allowed’ at the Daddy’s Little Sweetheart Dance once the party gets underway in the Holmes Ballroom. SUBMITTED PHOTO

For one enchanted February evening each year, princesses from throughout the land of lakes are invited to bring the special men in their lives — be it their dads, granddads, uncles or family friends — to Detroit Lakes’ Historic Holmes Theatre to enjoy an evening that was created just for them.

The seventh annual Daddy’s Little Sweetheart Dance is set to take place this Friday, Feb. 7 from 6 to 9 p.m., and marks the official kickoff to the community’s 2014 Polar Fest celebration.

“It always starts with the Grand March on the theater’s main stage,” said event coordinator Becky Mitchell. “But this year, the dads and daughters will be directed down to the basement first, for the picture taking, then they’ll line up along the back staircase leading up to the theater.

“The moms — or ‘mommarazzi’ as we like to call them — will be directed to find a seat inside the theater,” she added, noting that the change was made in order to decrease congestion outside the theater and make the Grand March flow more smoothly.

Another change that was made this year is that the official photos that are taken of the dads and daughters will be made available online, “so they can print as many copies as they want,” Mitchell said.

A photographer will be on hand to take the formal photos for $5 each.

One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is that there will still be an opportunity to make a small craft item to take home as a keepsake, and a light snack offered to provide fuel for dancing the night away.

Both the craft and the snack will be “formal wear friendly,” Mitchell added, so those who dress up for the festivities can enjoy them without fear of spoiling their “Sunday best.”

Dads can also make their “little sweethearts” feel extra special by purchasing a “Princess Package” that includes a rhinestone tiara, gemstone ring, notepad and paper, zebra-print purse and candy.

The “Princess Packages,” which cost $43, also include the cost of the daughter’s ticket (sold individually for $9) and a formal photo. Adult admission to the event is $18 per ticket.

Though many come dressed up in ball gowns and tuxes, others come dressed more casually in jeans and nice sweaters; there is no “dress code” for the event, Mitchell said.

“Whatever the dads and daughters decide they want to do is fine, the evening is really what they make of it,” she said. “They don’t have to do the craft, or eat the snack, or take a photo… it’s whatever they want.”

What the evening is really designed to do, she added, is provide an environment for these little girls, ages 2-12, to enjoy the undivided attention of their escorts for the evening.

“It’s just the sweetest little event,” Mitchell said. “The little girls are just in awe of having their dad (or grandpa, uncle, etc.) all to themselves, and having the evening be all about them.

“Part of the fun over the years has been watching more and more of the dads get out on the dance floor and dance with their little girls.

For more information, or to reserve tickets, please contact the Historic Holmes Theatre at 218-844-7469, or visit the website.

Staff writer at Detroit Lakes Newspapers for the past 16 years, currently editor of the entertainment and community pages as well as covering city council and the Lake Park-Audubon School Board. Living in DL with my cat, Smokey.